Intangible | Free Rein [Pin]

- Chapter 9 -

Harper's lungs burnt almost agonisingly. She had been running for the better part of twenty minutes now and all of her body was straining with the sudden exercise. Once Pin's house came into view, she slowed to a walk as the hill incline became a little steeper.

Elvis was tied up by the container and Pin was stood not too far from him painting a post a sky-blue colour. Was this really how he was planning to spend the weekend? Here painting and not at Nationals? Harper was going to do everything she could to convince him to go to Nationals, no matter what.

"Pin!" Harper called out once she was close enough to Pin, "What're you doing?"

Pin's face remained impassive, he didn't even look over to her, "post isn't going to paint itself."

Harper's eyebrows drew together in furrowed confusion, "yeah, but a small little thing... the bus for nationals is going to leave and you're not on it."

"So?" Pin questioned before he spared a glance at Harper but swiftly returned to painting the post. He really was dedicated to not going now.

"Don't go all Pinny on me now, are you trying to prove a point here? Are you afraid of leaving or something?" Harper asked, rather desperately at this point, time was ticking down faster.

Pin didn't answer her questions and instead reached into his back pocket and pulled something out. Harper took it gently from his outstretched hand and saw that it was a post card, she flipped it over with a frown and saw a, half-hearted, apology from Eliza.

Harper handed the post card back to him, "your mum took off again."

"Thinking about getting that one framed." Pin practically spat, "as a reminder to never get my hopes up again."

She almost felt lost, she couldn't think of what to do, "Pin, please just put yourself first for once, it's okay to be selfish every once in a while. Let tomorrow be about you." Harper was unaware of Ted stood behind the couple, listening to what they were saying.

Ted chose then to speak up, "he won't change his mind, he's just as stubborn as you are."

Harper sighed and pulled at her hair slightly, as Pin carried on painting that bloody post. In a last, desperate attempt, Harper picked up one of the paintbrushes that was inside of the canister and started to paint the opposite side.

"Well then, I think I should stay here and help you rather than going to nationals." Harper chirped happily, she painted a little patch where Pin had missed and she saw the look that Pin sent her, something between disbelief and wonder.

Pin dropped his paint brush into the paint, "you're blackmailing me?"

Harper grinned as she turned to him, "damn right I am. Pin, you deserve to be there more than anyone else."

She watched as Pin's resolve crumbled before her very eyes, he grinned at her wholly before he rushed towards Elvis with Harper close behind him. Together, they worked to tack Elvis up. While Harper was tightening his girth, Pin was taking his bag of clothes from Ted, luckily, he hadn't gotten around to unpacking it yet.

Pin mounted onto Elvis first and Harper followed suit with her borrowed hat along with Pin's bag over her shoulder so that it wouldn't get in the way. Ted had agreed to meet them there and take Elvis off of their hands, it was quicker to take Elvis as they could go across fields that were quicker than roads.

They cantered through the luscious fields quickly, Harper had to grip onto Pin's waist tightly to ensure that she didn't fall off. The scenery flashed by as they moved, it almost felt like they were flying. Eventually, soft grass turned into concrete as they reached the roads of the town, Elvis' hooves clattered loudly as they approached the ferry port.